Cape Town - Kraaifontein residents are battling an increase in crime after the taxi violence and calling for those in power to bring peace.
Last weekend, police discovered, among others, the body of a 22-year-old man with multiple stab wounds on his upper body.
Kraaifontein community leaders are calling for local, provincial and national authorities to come to rescue them as crime is making their lives miserable.
Police spokesperson Malcolm Potjie said Kraaifontein police registered a murder case after the man’s death, who was stabbed by his stepfather in New Rest informal Settlement in Wallacedene.
The body was discovered in Phase 7 at about 6.55pm.
“The stepfather of the deceased was arrested shortly thereafter and was scheduled to appear in the local magistrate’s court on Monday on a charge of murder. The circumstances form part of an ongoing investigation,” he said.
Kraaifontein councillor Siviwe Nodliwa said an elderly man, known by many for selling braai meat, was shot dead in front of his wife.
It is alleged the unknown suspects approached the couple and asked for meat.
The victim prepared the meat for his “customers” and shortly afterwards they killed him.
Nodliwa said as leaders, there was not much they could do besides creating opportunities for unemployed people that might keep them busy and away from committing crime.
“The fight against crime is within the powers of the SAPS.
“As ward councillors we don’t have the competence to fight crime; however we play our part by encouraging people to patrol in their areas,” he said.
Kraaifontein Community Police Forum’s Robert Bisset said crime was high all over Cape Town, especially after the taxi violence, and he hoped it would die down after all the issues had been resolved.
Bloekombos community adviser for Human Rights, Linda Pito, said as a community they could not wait for the City to finally install CCTV cameras in their area. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, they had seen more people in their area and it was possible that some of them were well-known criminals where they came from.